Jimjillbang and Soo Casa - A Week of Indulgence

Shinsegae: Spaland inside the glass windows. 

Last week was Korea's pre-Independence Day, similar to Memorial Day, so I had work off. I have been wanting to go to the Jjimjilbang for a while and finally has my chance to go. I went to Spaland, apparently one of the nicest Jjimjilbangs in Korea, which is in Shinsegae, the largest shopping mall in Korea, and it was fantastic! Okay, so I had no idea what to expect so I'll describe everything.

I met my friend Erica at 3pm. We paid the entrance fee, 12,000wan (about $12), were given a locker assignment, and lounge ware and headed in. All men and women dress the same once inside the spa. After dropping off our shoes we went to the locker room and undressed. 

Digital interpretation of the baths. They are more beautiful in person.
The Jjimjilbang has two main areas. We went to the baths first which are separated by gender. The locker room and baths were beautiful and full of energy. There were women of all ages and sizes (although we were the only foreigners) chatting, lounging in varying temperatures of pools, washing their hair, scrubbing each others backs, enjoying the sauna, etc. It was so interesting to me because Koreans are usually very quiet in public places. I have been 'shushed' more than once for talking too much on a subway or bus. I expected this reserved social attitude to extend to all parts of public Korean culture, but in the baths it wasn't so. It was just a bunch of women together bathing and laughing. It was relaxed, accepting and enjoyable. I also found it interesting that for such a modest culture, there was almost complete comfort and acceptance of nudity. While in the baths, Erica and I paid for the special treatment of getting our whole bodies rubbed down with pumicing gloves by and an old ajjima (word for married Korean woman) wearing nothing but what resembled a black bikini. The reason Koreans do this is to get all the dead skin off their bodies, and I do not think I have ever been as clean as I was after my pumicing treatment! At times it was really painful and I thought I would come out of it naked and raw, but at the end I felt great. After lounging in a few more pools we went back to the locker rooms, put on our borrowed clothing (knee length canvas shorts and maroon tops) and went out to the co-ed saunas and relaxing areas. 

Coed lounging are

This showed me a part of Korean culture I have yet to see...that part where Koreans actually let their hair hang down, laugh, publicly hold hands, play cards and just relax! There were windows a few stories high letting in natural light, there were lounge chairs taken up by couples and friends resting, enjoying ice cream or a good book. Then there were at least 10 different sauna rooms with varying themes, temperatures and appeals. Argh! It's so hard to describe everything well. One of the sauna's was made of a mosaic of dark blue stones, another had a warm, smooth marble platform that you would lie on. Everything was clean and warm and the environment was so inviting! It was exactly what I needed. 

One of the many coed saunas

Lately I've been feeling like Korea is quickly aging me and I am not thrilled about it! I'm not used to being out in dry cold winds all the time. I'm not used to the cuisine. I have also been a little sick the past few weeks and I haven't recovered from a knee injury I acquire almost a month ago. I keep trying to go running but it's gotten to the point that I am going to see a doctor about it. :/ Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and it'll miraculously be healed so I can train for that half...In any case, a little pampering yesterday went a long way. 

I also went to a place called Soo Casa last week and got a perm! Perms and bangs are really popular among Koreans so I decided to choose the former. Soo is a Busan native that lived in Canada for 6 years and specializes in doing foreigners hair. She did an excellent job and I really enjoyed socializing and reading trashy US magazines for the 3 hour process. Life in Korea is starting for feel a little more comfortable AND it should start to warm up soon, which I cannot wait for!